The Dog Days Are Over
by CharlieSchulz
Summary: There are times, ones like this, where James can't think of a single thing he loves more than Sirius.


There's a rustling noise outside the curtains and a second later Sirius Black's head appears through them.

"Hey, budge over."

James Potter awakes from his pleasant dream of sugar and waffles and Lily Evans in a birthday suit. His eyes, painfully blurry and short sighted, struggle to see in the darkness. He recognizes the voice though. It belongs to his best mate or at least his best mate in the day time. At night he didn't want to know Sirius Black at all.

"Go the fuck away." James says, rolling away from his supposed friend.

He can practically feel the power of Sirius's pout glancing off his back, "But my bed's all cold. I wanna sleep with you tonight James."

James rolls over, sighs, scratches his head, "Sirius we aren't twelve years old anymore. We don't fall asleep together."

"Why not?" Sirius wants to know, pushing his head further past the four poster's curtains. James is half a mind to push the face away, but he can barely see it, "Why can't we sleep together? It makes me feel better."

"Because I'm not a bloody poof, that's why. We're sixteen Sirius. We don't cuddle anymore."

James's tone is final. But Sirius likes to press his buttons.

"But we're so good at cuddling! And I had a nightmare Jamie. It was horrible."

"Don't call me that."

"Please Jamie? Pretty please?"

"I said, don't call me that!"

James is tired. It's who-gives-a-fuck in the morning and he's ready to hex his mate into next week. But Sirius isn't giving up; quite the contrary. There's a hand on James's face, and some puppy eyes getting closer to him, and a wobble in a lip, and James just wants to..

"No Sirius! I'm not sleeping with some other guy in my bed!"

James can almost see the crestfallen look on Sirius's face before a grin splits it in two. A question is halfway out of James's mouth before Sirius is gone. It only takes a second before a giant, black, shaggy dog jumps onto the bed.

"Oh Jesus," James says in defeat, but there's already a smile on his face.

James had always been a dog person. He'd had one as a kid, a golden retriever named Snitch. The thing had died a month before James left his house for his new home: Hogwarts. He found it interesting that when he lost one dog, a new one announced itself. Sirius might not have been an Animagi yet, but James could feel his canine aspects from miles away.

James scratches around the dog's neck because he knows how much it likes that. His arms go around the fluffy body and his hands dig through the thick fur. James hugs the animal close to him, forgetting about Sirius and just focusing on how much warmth the dog brought with him.

He grabs the dog's chin and looks him straight in the eye, "Just this once, okay? I'm not letting you get hair all over my sheets ever time you're a little cold. You can put on a bloody jumper next time, alright?"

The dog replies with a big, wet lick on the face, and although he's trying to be quiet, James can't help but unleash a big laugh. He grabs the dog again and gives him a big old kiss on the mouth. The dog barks once, twice, and James shushes him with a chuckle.

Feeling fatigue, James snuggles back down into the covers, pulling his dog with him. He cradles the animal, grasping it to himself with need. There are times, ones like this, where James can't think of a single thing he loves more than Sirius.

James plants kisses and scratches on the top of the dogs head, rubbing one hand along his belly. The dog whines pathetically and tries to get closer to his mate, his owner, his master. After all he's –_man's best friend-_ and no one should come between the dog, the filthy, scruffy dog, and his perfectly perfect James.

"My beautiful pup," James whispers, kissing the dog again, by the ear this time. The hand on the stomach slips around to the dog's back, pulling at the coarse hair there, "Merlin, you need a wash."

Sirius growls, James breathes him in, "Let's get some rest, yeh?"

Sirius makes sure James is completely asleep before he turns back into a human. He lays there, in James's arms, wondering why he ever slept alone when he was twelve. He'd rather like to return to every moment, every second he could have been lying next to James. Is anything better than this? he asks the universe while sneaking a hand under James's shirt. He presses his nose deeper into James's neck, allows his hands to curl into James's stomach, and adjusts his knee to rest in between James's legs.

They sleep all night like that, completely peaceful.

When he awakes the next morning, James will immediately notice that Sirius is no longer a dog. But this won't matter. He'll take a second to look down at Sirius's long, regal face. He'll pause for a moment to take in the dark, silky curls. He'll hesitate for a time to brush his hand down the beautiful body curled around him.

He'll let himself be in love with Sirius for only a minute before waking him up with a shove and kicking him out of the bed.

**AN: I'm particularly in love with this pairing. **


End file.
